Fairphone 2 modular smartphone has started shipping Comments

Schwarze, 23 Dec 2015What I can suggest is that to reduce manufacturing cost and materials to sell the device with ... moreYeah, sounds good. The "Chekcing" module would be a piece of software, not hardware. Just clarifying.

What I can suggest is that to reduce manufacturing cost and materials to sell the device with stock parts and I will be buyer's decision if the want to upgrade it with optional parts similar when you buy a standard desktop or a stock automobile. the checking module the previous guy was stating is for safety or limit check if the addons are too much for the hardware thus they can release something like developers or modders kit. make sense?

funkboy, 22 Dec 2015The components are the same components in any other smartphone, with two important differences... moreAlso, I think the "hard coding" would become modular coding, like this:

* They add a "Checking Module" to Android
* The Checking Module scans the phone's hardware on each reboot, or ar user's request.
* The "Checking Module compares the results of the "Hardware's ID" tags with a previous ID Tag list.
* If it's a perfect match, the Checking Module starts the phone as usual (No changes found)
* If some Hardware's ID changed, the Checking Module activates a "Download Manager".
* The Download Manager tells you to wait, while it probes on a remote server, looking for the new ID.
* The Download Manager downloads the proper software pieces (Drivers) for the new hardware(s).
*The Download Manager launches an "Installer Module" for the new pieces.
* The Installer Module installs the new hardware, reboots the phone and write the new config on the "Hardware ID" tags list.
* The phone starts.

Doing so guarantees that all the pieces of new hardware released by Fairphone (or their licensers) are on the Hardware's ID Database, thus preventing third party hardware or homebrew drivers to work, or at least get their approval before they could be used by the community.

I think lots of folks are missing the point (at least a few folks admitted this). The Fairphone is an attempt, perhaps misguided, reducing the tremendous waste that exists in building an electronics product that is constantly made obsolete. Think of what you do every time you switch phones- 90% of what you trash is perfectly good- the screen often, the battery, the memory etc- much of it hasn't improved in the new model, or at least not enough to justify a new phone. When you can switch components, you get an upgraded phone- without the waste.

The other goal is to use fair trade principles- something that seems would be very hard to do. How to insure that workers are compensated fairly, have decent working conditions. In the electronics assembly industry? I wonder. But good for them for trying....

So yeah, those of you who posted "too expensive, why?; I could just get a new phone" Google a photo of an electronics dump on your new phone, and the folks who live on that dump, and the seepage from that dump. Again, perhaps the project won't work- and be only for programmers. But at least they tried.....

Anonymous, 22 Dec 2015I don't understand one thing:how the operating system will be compatible with the new componen... moreThe components are the same components in any other smartphone, with two important differences:

- The phone is optimized for durability & reparability, not cost & ease of manufacture. The components (camera, cpu/memory, battery, etc) are on individual boards that can be easily replaced by the end-user with a few simple tools if they fail, or if improved components become available (think more like a bicycle than a phone).

- It's built under fair trade principles & component sources are as ethical as possible.

Given that there's very little profit margin built-in to the price vs. a large company, these two aspects add at least 50% to the cost of the phone (probably more), and the fact that they're building in very small volumes (probably batches of 1000) also adds about another 30-50% to the cost.

If they shipped as many as even the smallest of the top-10 phone mfrs they could probably get the cost down well below 400Â€.

Anonymous, 22 Dec 2015I don't understand one thing:how the operating system will be compatible with the new componen... moreModular phones are for power users who know how the gain root, flash roms, and install launchers. They will know the requisite assembly code for installing new hardware components.

Honestly, in spite of all the monumental flops Google's Moonshot division had, at least ARA wasn't visually intimidating to the older audience or general non-techies. It doesn't help the project founder of Fairphone left a bad taste when it came to the price tag, like how could they think FP2's price tag would compete with Google at all?

I don't understand one thing:how the operating system will be compatible with the new components,it will need hard coding and installing a new type of android every time you change the components,so this phone will probably be only for experienced guys

Modular phone,hmm fine but why the hell they are selling it at Â€525! This is bullshit mahn! They are overpricing this device just because its innovative in its own way-Modular device,where we can just put some other components replacing the original one.
But still this is overpriced.
Fairphone...no fair price.

Good phones are getting so cheap, like my my Mi4c which blows this out of the water is only $250. If i need an upgrade i will just buy a new phone. It will be even cheaper next year. The modules on this and Ara are way overpriced for what you would get.

Anonymous, 21 Dec 2015I really don't get products like this. Why would anyone pay this price for an unheardof compa... morewhen a new tech comes out the price is for sure very high. How much is the blue ray drive cost when it 1st came out? how much it cost now? in time the price will drop, then more & more company will join this, and then it will become mainstream. For those who want to enjoy new tech earlier, they pay more, for those who dont want to pay more, have to wait for the new tech become "old tech" when the price drop, thats it, nothing to blame of

Samarth N8 808 user, 21 Dec 2015So, all the specs are pre-decided, even the camera... so, how is it modular? Only body can be ... moreLook at the pictures.
They show different modules of the motherboard separated.
As new and better modules become available - for example say an upgraded or new processor becomes available, a new module with the new processor can be purchased and attached to the processor slot in the same phone.
The whole point of a modular phone is to be able to swap old obsolete components for newer and better ones without taking the whole phone structure apart.
That is how any modular device works.

Samarth N8 808 user, 21 Dec 2015So, all the specs are pre-decided, even the camera... so, how is it modular? Only body can be ... moreNo, you got it the other way around, they must start with a basic phone then as more parts (modules) come out, them you can "upgrade" the camera, ram, etc etc

Anonymous, 21 Dec 2015I really don't get products like this. Why would anyone pay this price for an unheardof compa... morewhere do u live. I dont kniw a country where u can get a s5 for 100dollar!
Not talking about used phones! U cant compare those